Iconic Sydney brewery and bar is now a hip boutique hotel

What is it? This beautifully boutique and tastefully hip hotel, with 62 rooms and suites, is the heartbeat of newly fashionable Kensington Street, in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale, a short walk from Central Station.

What’s so special about it? Lots. The five-storey hotel has been fashioned from two heritage-listed buildings – the former Clare Hotel (a pub) and the offices of Carlton & United Breweries. The glass linkway that connects them is a nod to the owner’s commitment to retain as much original detail as possible.

Look up from the lobby area into this new space and you’ll see the walkways on each level as well as a set of old fire-escape stairs descending into mid-air and original graffiti.

The old pub cellar, which can be glimpsed through a sheet of perspex, adds a level of historical intrigue, recalling a time when wooden beer barrels were rolled down a ramp into murky depths, as do quirky lobby installation pieces that include an archaic dentist’s chair and an old bicycle with leather seat.

What about the rooms? There are seven distinct layouts; nooks combine with glass walls to form en-suites and wood-panelled bars have been converted into minibar and bench space.